Girl Talk
by Jesus.Lives
Summary: Slight spoilers for FINALE [who doesn't know?]. Katara is confused about her feelings and talks to Smellerbee. MAJOR LONGERBEE. MAJOR ZUTARA. MAJOR KATAANG. Set while planning for the invasion, before the eclipse.
1. Chapter 1

**Aang, Katara, Zuko and Sokka are recruiting misfits for their army to storm the eclipse. Smellerbee and Longshot join them. Toph is out of the picture for now, because Xin Fu brought her back home. I'm sure Aang and co. would break her out for the seige though... but that's later.**

**Smellerbee and Katara talk about relationships. Smellerbee is worried Katara is making a mistake with Li (Zuko) but Katara never learns. Longerbee, slight Zutara and Kataang.**

---------------------------------------

She sat on a tree branch, sticking her knife in and pulling it out of the bark again, tracing spirals and looking under a dark bandanna at Longshot who was half heartedly listening to a joke of Sokka's and seeing Aang fall over with laughter when Sokka would punch him in the arm again.

Smellerbee felt someone crawling up the branches to plomp herself down beside her. She gave a pout to the girl about her own age who'd never quite acknowledged her before, even when she apparently had something going on with her leader... her brother.

"I'm suprised to see you up here alone..." Katara said making conversation, most probably wanting other feminine company.

Smellerbee was never impressed with Ponytail's jokes. Longshot was polite enough to handle them, but she just had to get away sometimes. So sick of feeling like she had to fit in, now they were the ones on the out.

"Longshot keeps watching you, you know?" Katara said again. And pressed her lips together, waiting for a response.

So that's what she wanted to talk about. The eclipse was the next day and Katara wanted to talk about relationships.

"He wants to take care of me, but I can take care of myself" Smellerbee said, chipping out bits of the bark with her knife.

"Or he wants to get away from Sokka" Katara smirked, amused.

Smellerbee grinned too. Perhaps things weren't going to be so bad talking to Katara. Maybe she could see what Jet saw in her.

Katara looked hard at Smellerbee again and then proceeded with caution. "You're in love with him, aren't you?"

She prided herself on being quite the Aunt Wu, able to predict how people feel about each other. Except she fell inadequately short in her own situations.

The knife almost slipped from Smellerbee's grip. "Huh? Longshot? He's like my brother."

"I consider it a good thing that I don't stare at my brother like that." Katara said warmly, opening up to her.

Smellerbee blushed.

"He likes you too. He wouldn't take care of you like that if he didn't like you."

"Suppose that's the same thing with you and Aang." Smellerbee said, wearily as a response.

Katara smiled. "I suppose." She said.

"Listen Katara. I don't know if Li reminds you of Jet or not, but it's not a good idea for you to be all over him."

"Because he's fire nation?"

"Because Sokka doesn't trust him."

"Well" Katara said brutely, feeling shut down about her feelings for Zuko. She never stopped Longshot or Smellerbee from calling him Li. She knew that was the way they knew him, and they never talked to him anyway, so they could call him whatever they liked. "Sokka didn't trust Jet either." Katara stuck her nose in the air.

To Smellerbee it felt like a slap. This is why Smellerbee prefered the company of boys to girls. "Well sometimes" Smellerbee hissed "Sokka is right and Sokka is wrong."

"Yeah. Go tell him that." The other girl said snidely and jumped back down off the low, but steady branch.

----------------------------------------

**Alright. This was just a drabble. I could write more, but if you want to see more... let me know. If no love... I stop. Meh.**


	2. Chapter 2

b This is a little short, but I've been unmotivated as of late. If you want to get my juices going again (for writing) review and let me know. Advice... etc.

Thanks for everyone for the motivation with this one last time. Next I hope to have some more Katara. /b 

-----------------------

Katara was right. And it made Smellerbee scowl to think of it. She wasn't right about everything, granted. But as Smellerbee slunk off the branch and made her way over to the boys, she lowered her eyes in anticipation.

"So, are we going to go get some grub Longshot?"

He nodded in approval.

As they walked off he cast a look in her direction, but she waved it off. "No she didn't want to talk to me about Jet." Smellerbee said, although he kept quiet. "I don't hate Lee, you know. It wasn't his fault that Jet was arrested... even though Jet was right all along."

_I didn't ask._ Longshot seemed to say.

She picked up a blade of grass, but refained from chewing on it, a nasty habit since she'd had to in a few ways, fill Jet's shoes as leader. Instead she twirled in her fingers and tried to pass off that she wasn't thinking about sticking it in her mouth.

"She wanted to talk about boys" Smellerbee said suddenly, as they walked along and she rubbed at the paint under her eyes with her fingertips, as if exhasperated at the thought. "Lee." She said again.

Longshot nodded. He was always a good listener.

"I told her it was a bad idea." She shrugged. "It's not going to make Jet come back, is it?"

Longshot lowered his eyes and spun when he heard a rustling nearby. There wasn't a second's hesistation before he loaded his bow and at the first sign of a tusk, the arrow went flying. Sinking into some type of boar about ten meters away.

Smellerbee got out her knife for carving. It wasn't a smart idea for them both to be dragging the animal when they could just cut it up into smaller pieces.

As she dragged the animal by the tusk out of the bushes, she noticed Longshot staring at her as if in a trance.

Maybe Katara was right about another thing as well. But Smellerbee wasn't going to push it.


	3. Chapter 3

Yes, there will be Zutara (I'm guessing Azula and gang will be responsible for hauling them in a cave while they manipulate the earth king - Long Feng style!) .

And yes Aang leaving to see the Guru will probably open up a window of opportunity for Zuko and Katara to gain more than mutal respect.

But let's see how it pans out, huh?

Oh. And Charleegirl and Liselle my fellow boomeraang squadron - DON'T HURT ME!!!

--------------

"Aang was gone."

"Sokka says they were only gone two weeks."

"Well a lot can happen in two weeks."

Katara had sat beside Smellerbee again while they ate. Smellerbee knowingly shuffled a little away from Longshot as Katara engaged her in hushed conversation.

"I'm sorry about what I said before." Katara said meaningfully. "It's great to have another girl around. I miss Toph sometimes... although she used to make me so angry..." Katara cracked a smile.

Smellerbee nodded and bit into a chunk of meat, thinking to herself, Did this girl ever shut up?

"So you feel justified for picking Lee over Aang?" Smellerbee said finally, reading her meaning and feeling quite glad she didn't have the same dilemmas.

"Zuko was there... to help me fight Azula and her... cronies... when Aang wasn't."

Katara didn't answer the question, instead she got her usual self-righteous huff, like what she did when anyone used to confront her about her feelings for Jet that she always denied.

"Anyway. I gave Aang hints about how I felt with him" she said, furthering her attempt at self-justification "but he never acted on it. If you ask me, he's missed his chance."

She was right. She'd kissed Aang twice on the cheek. Hugged him more times than she could count. And kissed him on the lips that he actually seemed reluctant about at first. He'd have to have been blind not to make a move. But she was tired of waiting. Who knew what the outcome of the fire nation raid was going to be? Who knew if she could wait forever?

Smellerbee looked at her like she had grown an extra head. "He was trying to fight a war" she hissed at her, gaining attention from the rest of the table and a concerned look from Longshot next to them. "Doesn't that mean anything?" She continued dropping her voice lower, as Zuko gave a long look to Katara and then dropped his eyes back to a barely touched piece of meat in front of him.

Smellerbee noticed and thought that Pipsqueak would have had a field day picking on Zuko for his lack of appetite, when Pipsqueak could usually pretty much swallow a horse whole.

"No" Katara almost steamed. "No it doesn't."

Smellerbee groaned inwardly. She was sure part of Katara wanted to have someone like Zuko care about her, but she was sure a bigger part of it was trying to get back at Aang for never saying anything to her about it first.

She would never understand why girls would act this way. Maybe she would talk to Longshot about it later. But as she watched Sokka trying to joke with him from across the table, she knew she wouldn't say a word.

Perhaps she was more like Katara than she ever thought possible. But if she had to wait forever with Longshot, she didn't know if she wouldn't resort to the same drastic measures to get him back.

Sometimes guys were just clueless.

--------------------------

Squeal. Favorite ships. One story.

Please Avatar writers!!!

Bring Smellerbee and Longshot back!!!


	4. Chapter 4

OK. Finally the Zutara action you've been begging me for... or not...

--------------

"Hi" Katara said, rocking back and forth on her heels as she walked over to Zuko later. He regarded her briefly.

"Hi" he returned, juggling balls of light in his hands, the move he'd been teaching Aang that afternoon.

"You didn't like the dinner?" she asked shyly. They knew each other quite well after being in that cave together. Giving Zuko the opportunity that Aang never took.

"I'm still not accustomed to eating things that still have hair on them" He said, trying to be as polite as he could.

"I guess so" she said, with a smile. She sat beside him "I thought maybe we could talk."

He shrugged. "Alright."

"Well... what do you want to talk about?"

Not this again, he thought. She seemed to want his company and he knew why, but she didn't know what do to with it... and anything she did want to do, he was afraid he didn't want for the sake of Aang.

"Aang told me about when you found him" Zuko began, clearing his throat "And something about penguin sledding..." He cocked and eyebrow quirkily. Aang didn't shut up about Katara when he wasn't firebending. Zuko would often stalk away from him, just to get a moments peace.

Katara got a big grin on her face "yeah..." she said, her face lighting up from the memories.

She looked beautiful with the firelight on her face, memories of her happier times gracing her eyes and a smile as wide as the sun.

"It was actually really funny. That's the first thing he said to me when he got out of the ice - do you want to come penguin sledding with me? He always says the last thing you'd expect. Well, he used to. Now I pretty much expect everything that he's going to say."

She traced circles in the dirt they sat under. His mouth creased politely. Humility had done strange things to Zuko. Made him more becoming. Katara respected that about him.

"Do you think about your mother very much?" she asked tentatively. They'd touched on this often. Memories too painful for both of them.

"Do you?" He shot back, before his face crumpled.

"Yes" she answered honestly. "Every day."

Aang could never understand that about her, no matter how much he tried. She was torn. The one guy with memories that made her burst with happiness, that was her world but yet was never brave enough to come right out and say what he thought about her... Or the chance for someone that might understand the pain of losing everything a little better.

Aang lost Appa. But Aang got Appa back, so it wasn't the same.

Zuko and Katara sat in silence for a while. He finally made the move to get up.

"This was a nice chat." She said.

"Yes" he repeated, as he brushed himself off "it was."

And then he left. Leaving Katara more confused than before.


	5. Chapter 5

_Smellerbee and Katara battle it out, when talking out away from the rest of the gang..._

**For Blind Bandit.**

--------------

"No. We're coming with you." Smellerbee grit her teeth as she faced off against her new companion, who up until now had only irked her a little bit but it was growing by the second.

"It's too dangerous. You and Longshot should be here for backup."

"What's the good in us staying here?" Smellerbee shot back "We joined with you guys to honor Jet and to help fight the fire nation once and for all. We're not staying behind."

"Suit yourself" Katara said angrily. "Follow Jet's fate. Make it a suicide mission for all I care!" Katara threw her hands up in the air.

Smellerbee didn't know quite when she charged at her. But her knife was already out when she wrestled Katara to the ground, grappling at her, pulling her hair and twisting anything back that her small gloved fingers came in contact with.

She knocked Katara's pouch just out of her reach, and Katara, pinned down stretched out her fingers to reach it. Smellerbee smirked her held her down tighter, Katara fighting back a little stronger, looking into the girl's eyes alight with anger.

Katara held her gaze, just as ruthlessly, and finally detecting a lack of willpower in an instant, knocked her off of her and grabbed the pouch. The water came out in a stream and slunk over Smellerbee's wrists. As Katara blew quickly, as they became hard ice chains pinning Smellerbee down permanently.

The tall, thin girl wrestled but it was no use. "You're crazy!" Smellerbee yelled at her, her bushy hair in her eyes that neither hand could wipe away now she was cuffed down.

Katara smiled. "I'll send Longshot out to get you." Katara said with an attitude, and started walking away. She turned back and Smellerbee thought for a second she was going to come and let her back up. "Oh and this one" Katara said poignantly. "Was for my brother."

In a cruel irony, Smellerbee had enough time again to reflect upon her situation while waiting for Longshot to rescue her. She was starting to get sick of the water tribe.

(Pst. An allusion to the ep. Jet where Sokka trapped her and Pipsqueak... duh)


	6. Chapter 6

**Love to the Longerbee fans. Longerbee! Woot! Love!!! Love to all and to all a goodnight!**

**I'll be praying for all, for as long as I manage to keep myself away from mesmorising computer screen. :D**

**Only as long as the finale of Avatar... :P**

--------------------------

"I wasn't jealous." She said, rubbing her wrists as if she was bashfully tending to her wounds.

He crouched beside her and took her wrists in his own palms, turning them over and looking at them. Giving a silent overview of the situation.

"She was trying to hold us back from going with them. I suppose they've already left without us" Smellerbee said angrily.

Longshot nodded. "They left as soon as Katara came back" he said and brushed her cheek.

"We should follow them" Smellerbee said, looking to him for a confirmation she was sure would come. He remained expressionless.

_Why did she think he assumed she was jealous? Of Katara?_ His expression turned to confusion as he mulled it over in his mind.

"There's no time for that Longshot" Smellerbee said rising to her feet. "We've got to be fast if we're going to catch them."

He got up as well. "We'll follow from a distance. That way we can back them up if they get in any trouble"

Smellerbee was going to go right in there and stick a sword in Katara's face telling everyone what she did, but she knew with Longshot his request was non-negotiable.

"Alright. You've got a deal. No one will even know we're there" He nodded and slung his bow back over his shoulder.

She put a hand on his other shoulder "Thanks Longshot." She said.

His eyes widened at her touch, and then he just nodded dutifully. Her heart sunk. Maybe Katara was onto something with using Lee, well... Zuko, to wake up Aang to how she felt. She wondered briefly if she did the same with Sokka if he'd play along with it. She blushed and it left her mind almost as soon as it entered it.

Longshot wasn't the type to get jealous. She was sure it would backfire. But there had to be something that would work. She could really do with some girl advice right now. She almost wished she hadn't ticked Katara off so bad.


	7. Chapter 7

**Beta'd by the awesome Sylvacoer (I think known as 'The Narrator' on this site).**

**She did a great job at making this 1000 times better than what it was.**

**Yay! I have a beta.**

**This chapter also has some of a new ship me and Charlee like to call... Sobee (heh-heh reminds me of Sobey's...)**

---------------------------

"You didn't have to leave them behind!" Sokka complained, venting his irritation by chucking his boomerang at an innocent branch, slicing it clean from the canopy above.

"They were just going to get in the way" Katara huffed, trying to keep up with him, "We know what we have to do, so we should just get in and do it."

Zuko had said sneaking into the Fire Nation would require a "back door." The gang had gone in circles (literally and figuratively) trying to figure one out – until Sokka remembered Master Jeong Jeong. Guru Patik and Aang figured out how to narrow down the search using their combined spiritual powers, but it became clear that Appa would only attract attention as they neared the Fire Nation.

Everyone's tempers were short over the inconvenience, and Aang especially was anxious to leave Appa behind yet again.

"We can use all the help we can get Katara," Sokka pressed. "Ever since we lost Toph."

"I agree with Katara," Aang piped up from behind them.

"Big surprise," Sokka's usual sarcastic reply rang forth.

"We need to do this quickly. The less people the better."

"If Katara said we needed more people, you would agree with her there as well." He moved a little ways ahead of the group and looked longingly upwards. "Plus, they knew the trees, at least we could have used them for that."

"What's the matter Sokka? Missing someone to listen to your jokes?" Katara shot at him.

"I have Zuko for that." Sokka smirked and looked back at the sulky fire bender.

"Yeah… he's real receptive," Katara snidely retorted.

Sokka ignored her and the group continued on in sullen, uneasy silence until they reached the edge of the forest and made camp under the setting sun.

---

Sokka was out for a walk. Not that he really had time for a leisurely stroll – oh no – he had to get firewood, since Katara and 'Fire Breath' had to practice with Aang. Grumbling under his breath, he struggled to pull a stubborn branch from the undergrowth until he felt a familiar tug on his hair.

"Ponytail!" came a hiss, as Smellerbee dropped down in front of him.

Sokka jumped about a mile.

"I thought you guys were left back at our old camp!" he exclaimed, crossing his arms defensively and pretending that no, the scary little hair-pulling girl did not just scare the life out of him.

"Well aren't you glad that we aren't?" Smellerbee said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Just surprised. Katara's going to have a fit." He looked at her suspiciously.

"Katara's not going to know, stupid!" she said irritably.

"You know, I'm really getting sick of girls calling me that," Sokka said, thinking back...

Toph, Suki... and now Smellerbee.

"Look. Longshot's hunting for some food. I just thought I'd let you know that we're not far behind, in case anything happens. We have to have someone we can trust in your crew," she said, hand idly reaching behind her back for her knife.

Sokka was nonchalant. "Our crew? I prefer to think of it as a squad..."

Suddenly, the two of them heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps approaching.

"Just keep it quiet!" she hissed again and looked around wildly for an escape route – but the nearest tree was too far…

Sokka's eyes widened as well. And as the footsteps got louder Smellerbee did the only thing she could think of - grabbed the back of Sokka's neck, almost pinching it through her gloves, and pulled him down to her level, pressing her lips on his as her eyes darted around, wanting to see the intruder before they got a good look at her and secretly hoping the interruption was from exactly who she thought it would be.


	8. Chapter 8

Last time we ended on cliffhanger...

_Ohhhh..._

--------------------------------------

Longshot almost covered his eyes when he walked into view. Smellerbee dropped the act and Sokka's neck at once.

"It's just Longshot," she said to Sokka, while Sokka looked dazed for a moment, then instinctively wiped his lips.

It's not as if he enjoyed it. _Did he?_

Longshot threw Sokka a glance he couldn't read, as he had the back of his palm over his mouth, which caused the Water Tribe boy to drop his hand immediately, almost guiltily.

"We have to have someone we can trust that knows we're out here," Smellerbee reasoned off Longshot's look

Something niggled at the back of her mind; _Did it work? He doesn't look jealous…_ and then panic set in, but she hid it under a cool facade.

_Oh spirits, what was I thinking, kissing Ponytail! Yick!_

Trust? He answered her with an unspoken question. The benefits of knowing someone as well or better than you know yourself was to be able to read what they are thinking at the times that you most need to.

This was one of those moments. "You heard him today – he wants our help. He's not going to tell the Avatar and Katara that we're here, just so long as we stay out of the way until we're needed" she said, having thought this through.

Sokka nodded somewhat absently, too absorbed by the half-grown moose-lion Longshot dragged behind him, the red-fletched arrows still jutting from its flesh. He could only imagine what Aang and Katara were rustling up. Most likely fish... again.

"Perhaps, I'll just stay here until they come looking for me," he said, his eyes mesmerized by the meat.

Smellerbee gave him more than a little push in the opposite direction. "Not if you don't want us to get caught, Ponytail," she called after him.

Sokka picked up some twigs and ambled back to the others, somewhat confused. Toph had tried to kiss him before. Well, correction, she was trying to kiss Suki - but she'd thought it was him, right? And now Smellerbee? But this wasn't the same... it wasn't possible his irresistible Water-Tribe charm had worked on another girl-warrior.

Sokka had almost lost count, well... on one hand anyway.

They needed to find Jeong Jeong - before Sokka lost his mind. _Girls!_ He missed Suki, and he knew that nothing would be right again until after this war... And now... he was more motivated than anything to stop it.

---------------------------------------

There's very little people reading this... so it might be the end of the road for me...

Love to the** Boomeraang Squad**: Liselle & Charlee & Moi.

And to Beta: **Sylvacoer**. Thanks!!!


End file.
